


You Say That Every Year

by datenTokai



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Christmas Party, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I promise this isn't a ship fic, Post-Canon, Seven Years Later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 01:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datenTokai/pseuds/datenTokai
Summary: Seven years after their run as Aqours, the nine girls get together for yet another Christmas party, where they discover exactly how much they mean to one another.Prompt courtesy of Mystic Harley on Discord.





	You Say That Every Year

As the doors gave way to the Ohara mansion, Chika stood in awe of how spacious even the initial living room was. She and the rest of Aqours had been here countless times before, but Chika’s routine persisted throughout the years.

“Chika!” a voice called out to her. She could barely turn to face her friend before Riko Sakurauchi was wrapped around her, nearly pushing Chika off her feet. “I’m so glad you could make it!” she continued. Chika embraced her long-time friend and rested her chin atop Riko’s silky deep red hair.

“I haven’t missed a single party yet, Riko!” she claimed cheerfully before smirking. “That’s more than can be said for you, isn’t it?” Riko broke the hug and made eye contact with the orange-haired girl, pouting. As always, this caused Chika to backpedal at rapid pace.

“Oh of course I didn’t mean that, Riko!” Chika took her friend in the biggest bear hug a girl of her stature could, but it was cut short by another voice coming from another room.

“What are you waiting for, you two? Come join the party!” Chika looked and saw Kanan Matsuura standing in the doorway, dressed in the most beautiful Christmas dress she ever saw. Kanan even dyed a few strands of her hair a dark red to help mesh her blue hair into the ensemble. Excited, Chika ran over to meet the rest of her old idol group.

Now that Chika was surrounded by her friends and didn’t have a wild Riko tied around her, she could truly appreciate the setup that went into this party. As always, Mari made sure everything was extravagant and flashy, down to the very last detail. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling and ropes of garland were strewn all over the walls and furniture. They were lined with the warmest sets of Christmas lights and boughs of holly to boot. The lights also lined most of the crevices in the room, leaving no corner barren. The main attraction was, as always, the gigantic fireplace, which had a large wreath above it as well as nine stockings lined over the crackling fire to make the whole environment warm.

“What do you think, Chika?” Chika just now noticed Hanamaru Kunikida standing by her side. She hadn’t grown an inch since high school, but there was no doubt that she’d grown a lot over the years. She kept her brown hair long, and for this occasion part of it was meticulously formed into a crown adorning over how beautiful she looked. “Mari had me come and help set everything up last weekend, zura.”

“It looks incredible,” Chika gasped, putting her arm around Hanamaru. “No, it looks better than incredible. It’s positively radiant.” Hanamaru blushed and rested her head in Chika’s side.

“Speaking of radiant,” Chika turned her head to the spiral staircase almost by instinct as Mari Ohara descended into the room. As a custom with their parties, Mari had put on her best attire and looked graceful to a fault. She didn’t wear the loop in her hair anymore, instead letting her shoulder-length wavy blonde hair hang free. “You look positively _shiny_ today, Chika.”

Chika giggled slightly. Mari’s emphasis on that one word in particular had quite literally not changed a bit since high school. “You outdid yourself again, Mari.” Mari’s smile widened as she approached Chika.

“There’s no such thing as overdoing it with you guys,” she responded, stroking Chika’s cheek lightly and gesturing to the rest of the girls with her other arm. “You have been everything to me for the last seven years. If anything, I’m not doing enough.” A stifled laugh could be heard as Dia Kurosawa made her way towards the two.

“You’re too much, Mari,” Dia sighed as she wrapped her arms around her long-time friend. Of all the people here, Dia’s looks were likely the most unchanged. Her jet-black hair ran down her back over a simple well-fit Christmas sweater. Chika noticed that there was a girl missing from the group.

“Dia, where’s Ruby at?” she asked. Dia broke the hug and looked around before seeing a glimpse of red coming out from behind one of the armchairs. Dia smiled cheerfully and pulled a lollipop out of her handbag. She extended it to Chika, who caught on at light speed and took it eagerly. The entire room stopped to watch as Chika approached the chair with the utmost caution and slowly extended it towards Ruby. After a brief moment of hesitation, the redhead reached out to take it. Chika pulled it back just a tad, and so Ruby reached out more, and the pattern continued until she had been totally lured out of hiding. With no hesitation, Chika threw her arms around Ruby and pulled her tight.

“Careful Chika!” she squealed, pushing against her captor. “This outfit is delicate,” After what seemed like an eternity, Chika released Ruby from her grasp.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Ruby,” Dia beamed. Ruby looked sternly at her big sister before Chika caught her attention again.

“Are you a reindeer?!” Chika exclaimed, poking gently at the antlers Ruby had over her long red hair. She no longer wore the pigtails she used to in high school, but instead let them grow into beautiful twintails, both littered with small snowflake decorations. Her antlers were complimented by a green and brown leather outfit likely designed by Ruby herself to best emulate a reindeer. “You are just too precious!” Chika added.

“Now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way, let’s party!” Mari shouted and flipped on her stereo system. As the sound of holiday music filled the air, the atmosphere in the room quickly devolved into more noise as the group began to make small talk with one another. Chika smiled and noticed the ninth member of her group out on the balcony, and went to go visit.

“You forgot to say hello to me, You,” Chika teased her best friend, You Watanabe, who remained expressionless as she stared out over the Uchiura sea in front of them. “You…?” Chika felt concern sweep through her body in a chill. Still no response. Not one to back down, Chika put one of her arms over You’s shoulder, fingers brushing through her short grey hair.

“You don’t have to talk, You. We can sit here like this instead,” she said softly. For about five minutes, they did. The first person to break the standstill was Chika when she brushed a tear off You’s cheek. You looked back at her best friend, wetness forming in her eyes.

“This might be the last Christmas we spend together as a group,” she lamented, nearly choking up. Chika’s look of concern transitioned slowly into her trademark welcoming smile.

“Aw, You…” she pulled You off the balcony and into the biggest hug she’d given that night. After an extended period of time, Chika released and held You at arm’s length, gazing into You’s blurry blue eyes. “You say that every year, dear. And here we are without fail the next.” Showing no signs of improvement, You shifted her gaze down towards the balcony floor.

“It gets closer to the truth every year, you know? You guys aren’t always going to stick around in this small town. Kanan has her diving shop keeping her here and Hanamaru works with her family at the temple.” You clenched her fists as tears began to fall to the floor. “But you guys, I love you guys so much. And you’ll all find purpose somewhere else and leave me here. I never had to imagine life without Aqours, and especially not without you, Chika.”

Not hearing a response, You looked up at Chika and was surprised to see tears falling from her friend’s bright red eyes. Still, Chika smiled.

“I don’t think I could ever leave you here, You…” she muttered. “You know, none of this would have happened without you. It was you who encouraged me, you who was with me from step one, leaving your own desires behind to enable me to follow my own dreams.” Chika paused momentarily to catch her breath, before continuing despite choking up on her own words. “You were the most important part of getting Aqours together and you’re the only reason we were successful. That Love Live banner is testament to everything you are to me.”

Chika couldn’t continue and took another break, sobbing openly in front of You. You opened her mouth to speak, but Chika silenced her, her voice rising to compensate for how hard it was to speak. “You don’t need me here, You. At least, not as much as I need you. You’re a constant reminder of who you pushed me to become. All of Aqours is a reminder of the impact you had on my life!”

Chika was cut short by the sound of the balcony door answering. The two of them looked back to see Mari peeking her head outside. Mari’s outgoing expression quickly shifted into a soft smile.

“There’s food out, when you’re ready,” With that, Mari exited the balcony and shut the door behind her. Chika and You looked at each other before wiping their eyes clear of all the tears.

“What do you say we go inside and enjoy ourselves?” Chika’s voice was barely over a whisper. You didn’t say anything but nodded along, and together the two entered the living room and walked towards the other room they would be using for food. When they got there, the other members had spared no time on getting their own. Both Chika and You stood in the doorway amazed at the sheer amount of food Mari had produced, as if she was expecting far more than nine people. There were probably about six tables altogether, all with their assortments of meals and sweets that could have probably filled the entire population of Uchiura.

Chika’s eyes settled on one dish in particular that took her way back. As she plated it, Chika was overcome with memories of Aqours back when they were still in school. She remembered working at a shack on the beach where You, Mari, and Yoshiko were designated to make the food. When Mari and Yoshiko weren’t selling anything, You took their meals and combined it with her own to make the most delicious curry Chika could remember ever having.

“I see you remembered it,” a voice startled Chika. She turned to her right to see Yoshiko standing beside her. “Mari had You and I teach her the recipe a few weeks ago.” Chika smiled brightly at her former classmate. Yoshiko never did end up ditching her fallen angel persona, and dressed appropriately in a Christmas outfit that was highlighted by various black implementations that worked surprisingly well together. To top it off, Yoshiko stuck with the bun she wore in her hair, and it was decorated with a black, green, and red feather.

“It looks great, Yoshiko,” Chika responded happily. Yoshiko returned the smile and walked towards her seat next to Riko, stopping about halfway and looking back.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s Yohane.” her response warranted a stifled laugh from Chika and Yoshiko winked in return. Chika continued plating her own food and then did a plate for You as well. Thankfully, the rest of the group allowed two seats next to each other for them to sit. The look in You’s eyes had changed and she could tell You wasn’t totally sad anymore.

Despite the mood coming in, dinner was really pleasant for You and Chika. Everybody was having a good time, and the older trio were especially immersed in whatever discussion they were having. However, shortly after Kanan excused herself from the table, Mari stood up and got everyone’s attention.

“You know,” she said, yellow eyes glistening in the warm glow of the Christmas lighting, “I’m incredibly grateful that you’ve all gathered here today for yet another Christmas party. I’ve never brought attention to it before but a lot of things had to go right to bring us together in such a spectacular way. To celebrate, I’ve had an idea.” Mari raised her glass in Chika’s direction. “Chika and You, as the pioneers of Aqours, thank you for everything.” Chika started at Mari in shock, mouth slightly agape. She swore she could see the hints of a tear in Mari’s eyes as she talked.

After a few moments of silence, Dia stood to her feet and raised her glass. A small smile crossed her face as she made direct eye contact with Chika. “I didn’t think a girl like you had what it took to avoid the failures I met when I tried to be an idol, but you persisted against all odds to make it happen. I was jaded by my experiences, and you opened my eyes again to the dreams I had as a first year. Thank you so much.”

Dia was far less subtle with her emotion, as a tear streamed down her cheek. As the silence pressed on, the weight of the moment was a lot to Chika. Her eyes watered and she gripped her leggings tightly. Her focus was interrupted when Ruby rose to her feet, a look of triumph in her eyes. “Chika, you brought me out of my shell into a world I knew so much of yet so little. Nothing could have prepared me for the experiences I had, and it was the best year of my life, getting to accomplish great things as an idol and get close to my sister again. Thank you.” Her voice broke at the end as she sunk back into her seat, while Hanamaru wasted no time standing on her own.

“I was a quiet bookworm back when we met, Chika,” she started before hastily remembering to pick up her glass. This solicited a soft giggle from Mari. “I wasn’t the best dancer or singer or people-person in general, and I was well aware of the way I speak. Still, you convinced me to join and showed me the best time of my life, and proved that even I could make friends. Thank you, zura.” Hanamaru clapped her free hand over her mouth as she let slip her vocal tic, but otherwise she was more composed than everyone else so far, Chika included.

Just when the silence had drawn on long enough, Riko was the next to speak. “Chika, I don’t know where to start with you. I was just a city girl who could play the piano, when you introduced me to this world I knew nothing about. After only knowing one thing all my life, it took a big leap to join you and You as the third member of Aqours. Since then, I’ve never looked back, and I’ve lived the fullest life I could imagine. I’ll never be able to repay you, Chika.”

Riko was the tipping point in the toast that was being held. Dia and Ruby were sobbing as they held each other. Riko maintained eye contact with Chika despite the tears wetting her cheeks. Hanamaru’s composure had cracked and she buried her face in her hands. Mari maintained the smile she always held, although she was crying herself. Even You who had not said anything had lost it beside her. Eventually, Yoshiko stood up, eyes cast downwards for a reason everybody understood.

“Back when you took me in, I was ready to give up Yohane. There wasn’t much to Yoshiko but I was convinced Yohane was nothing but a burden on everyone around me. Thanks to you letting me be myself, Yohane is a bigger part of me than ever. Maybe I’m-” She choked up slightly. “Maybe I’m not a fallen angel, but I don’t know what I would have done without Yohane being within me. And it’s all thanks to you for having me stay true to myself.”

And that was it. Chika was amazed that after all these years, everyone still felt this way about her. It seemingly wasn’t over yet as You shakily got up to her feet beside her. The two made eye contact before You spoke. She was wet with tears and shaking violently, but her eyes burned with a determination even Chika rarely saw.

“It’s so hard to put into words how much you mean to me, Chika,” every word coming out of You’s mouth was quiet and raspy, but You fought against the tears and the sorrow. “All I ever wanted when we were young was to be with you, living life in a way only you and I could. With Aqours, it was finally a reality.” You gripped the table to steady herself and stared downwards at the ground. “Even now, seven years after it all, I see the light in your eyes that you held in high school. I still see the future with you and me being the best versions of ourselves. It’s all so clear to me. Still…” You raised her voice to a borderline yell, fighting the intensity of the sadness inside her. “I love you, Chika! More than anything. And when one day you move on and find another dream to pursue, I want you to know Aqours was everything to me, that you were everything to me!” As You finished the sentence, she collapsed back in her chair, deteriorating rapidly into a mess of sobs.

Chika got down on one knee and took one of You’s hands in her own. “You, I’m not going to leave you…” she whispered. “I’ll never forget all the time we spent together, and you’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. What we have is so much more important than anything else this world can offer me. I promise.” Chika truly meant every word, and she got to her feet, pulling You with her. Their eyes locked, and Chika pulled her best friend close. Together they stood in silence, with only You’s sobs making any sounds whatsoever. The two stayed this way for what felt like forever, and You’s sobs slowly lessened until she was truly comfortable in Chika’s arms. You relaxed herself, embracing Chika and burying her face in her neck.

“Group hug!” Mari exclaimed, and as if on cue, the rest of Aqours piled around the two of them. For quite some time, they were quiet and comfortable together as they all let their sorrow go. It was the first time in a long time the group shared any true sentiment with one another, going back as far as potentially the closing of Uranohoshi six years ago. As much as it seemed like this was a pleasant experience for nobody, it was necessary for them to have these moments and remember where they came from.

The extended hug session was just what everybody needed, it seemed. The tears faded and while nobody said anything, the atmosphere lightened over time to a point where everybody was just content being in each others’ arms. Eventually, Chika noticed that one of them were missing.

“Hey Mari, where’d Kanan go?” she asked from the comfort of her head against You’s chest.

“I’m right here, silly,” a voice answered from across the room. Chika picked herself up and looked over to where she was standing. Meanwhile, Kanan made her way over to where Chika and the rest were. “I heard a lot of what went down here, and it really resonated a lot with me. I’ve seen you grow up into a wonderful young woman and I’m the luckiest person alive to be able to call you all my friends.”

Chika smiled and hugged Kanan tightly, but Kanan wouldn’t stay. Instead, she ran over to the entrance of the room and put a jacket on. “Come on,” she beckoned towards the rest of the group. “I have a little surprise for you.” With those words, she was out the door. Confused but always curious, Chika stood to her feet and made her way towards the door. As she put her own jacket on, Chika turned and called out towards the rest.

“Aren’t you coming, guys?” As Chika looked back towards the rest of her former idol group, she was greeted by a sea of smiling faces, including an especially big smile from Dia of all people. With some glances at each other, they all hopped to their feet and let Chika lead them outside.

The sun might have been shining that day, but there was still snow absolutely everywhere, with more forecast to come that night. Collectively, the group stopped and scanned their surroundings for the seemingly missing Kanan. That is, until You got pelted in the face with a snowball. She stumbled backwards, and Chika quickly came to her defense, spotting Kanan off in the woods. Laughing, Kanan tossed another in Chika’s direction and bolted off through the trees. Equally entertained, Chika was quick to follow. Behind her, Mari gave a rally cry for the rest who all took part in the chase.

Chika’s running led her to an open field where there was seemingly more grass than snow. Instead, snowballs were piled up randomly throughout an expansive field. Chika only had a moment to notice before one of them connected against her chest and knocked her on her back.

“Come on, you gonna take that?” Kanan yelled out. Simultaneously confused and ecstatic, Chika jumped to her feet and threw the snowball Kanan gave her. Kanan was ready and narrowly managed to duck out of the way before running towards the nearest snowball pile. Readier than ever, Chika did the same, and the fight began.

Shortly afterward, the other seven arrived just in time to watch Chika land an oh-so-satisfying snowball in Kanan’s face. That was all that was needed to pump Mari up, who made it down to the field in record time. After a brief pause, the rest decided to join in on the fun.

You was also freshly rejuvenated, putting her natural athleticism to work. Not one to take hits lightly, Kanan was hard targeted by her, and she received a snowball in the back at top speed for her troubles. Riko saw her advantage and grabbed a snowball of her own to hurl in You’s direction.

Quickly, Yoshiko intervened, stepping in front of You and extending an arm outwards, the other forming a familiar v-shape over her eye. “Your servant calls out to you, oh great one. Yohane commands space to bend to her will!”

Against all odds, the snowball neatly stopped in Yoshiko’s grasp, who posed before her throw. “Just as true as the sun rises in the east, fallen angel Yohane controls the dominion of this world!” With one fluid motion of her body, the snowball was propelled at blazing speed towards Riko.

The projectile never hit Riko. It narrowly missed, and traveled further before connecting with Ruby, who fell over with a shocked “Pigii!” noise. Entering full big sister mode, Dia rushed to grab a snowball and get revenge. Yoshiko was still in the midst of her victory theatrics when she was drilled in the side by another snowball.

Hanamaru found this quite funny and laughed for a few seconds before receiving a shot of her own. She quickly stood up and faced the direction of her attacker, Mari. Grabbing two or three snowballs off the pile, she took off in Mari’s direction. “You’re mine, zura!” was her battle cry of choice as she flung them one after another as the blonde ran in the opposite direction.

The girls all probably had their fun for at least an hour as the sun slowly set over Uchiura. Some were having more than others, with Yoshiko being drastically unlucky when it came to most athletic activities. Still, they’d all gotten over their sorrows in the only way they knew how. They were enjoying another holiday together.

The snowball count did eventually run out, just as the sky was darkening. Wet, cold, and tired, the nine of them took their time making it back to the mansion. The festivities were still far from over, as Mari led them to a Christmas tree where presents awaited each and every one of them. This was not entirely a surprise; they had all left the presents they got each other there, with some bonus frivolous items from Mari.

“I’ve just had the best idea,” Chika exclaimed between sips of cocoa from her new “#1 Mikan” mug that she got from Riko.

“Do enlighten us,” Dia replied as she looked over a beautiful white and pink scarf Kanan gifted her.

“It’s been forever since we’ve done it, but how about we all spend the night?” This was met with audible gasps from most of the group, but nobody had any immediate objections.

“That sounds like a great idea!” You exclaimed, donning a brand new sailor’s outfit Dia picked out for her.

“I don’t have anything to do tomorrow, it’s Christmas after all,” Kanan chimed in, admiring her custom Aqours-themed wakeboard that had “To: pretty bomber head” written on the tag.

“I think my family would be okay if I was late tomorrow,” Hanamaru added. In her hand she looked carefully at the latest phone that Yoshiko managed to get her. “It’s the future, zura,” she muttered.

“I suppose it’s your lucky day, because this fallen angel just so happens to have a free night on Earth,” Yoshiko said, a sinister grin on her face. On her head rested a tiara made by Ruby that seemed very thematically appropriate for a demon of her stature.

“I didn’t think to bring any pajamas,” Ruby whimpered, holding her very own tera jumbo Dia nesoberi, as a gift from Chika.

“You forget who you’re dealing with,” Mari responded, in a sweater from You that literally just had Kanan’s face on it. “I have plenty of clothes for you all!”

“It sounds like a done deal, then,” Riko added, smiling at the rest of the group. In her arms she clutched an art kit given to her by Hanamaru, who insisted in a personalized note that Riko would be a great artist. She’d never considered it, but if Hanamaru thought that highly of her she would have to try.

“In that case, I’ll get everything ready! See you soon, lovelies!” Mari strut her way over to the staircase and left. In the meantime, Kanan got You’s attention.

“Hey, why’d you decide to get her a sweater that had me on it?” Kanan asked, You promptly blushed and rose to her feet.

“What’s that, Mari? You need my help? I’m on the way!” With that, You was as good as gone, causing all of the remaining members to break out laughing.

Despite staying in touch for seven years, they had the most togetherness that night since their time on Aqours. They all remembered and expressed what they were grateful for, and those stories continued well into the night. They all curled up into their sleeping bags and recounted all sorts of stories from their high school days. Chika talked about her mentality facing all the adversity early on, You went through stories of Chika as a kid and how much she truly had to grow to lead Aqours. Riko talked about her old piano times and how she was pressured into it by her parents, basking in the freedom of being an idol instead. Yoshiko talked about how she continued her fallen angel livestreams up until about a year earlier. Hanamaru told the group about life working at a temple and being set to inherit it from her parents. Ruby recounted her early attempts at breaking out of Dia’s shadow and being her own woman, while Dia was more focused on trying to stop being overly protective of Ruby. Mari talked about the occasional travels she still had throughout the years, and as usual, Kanan talked about the wonders of the sea. They eventually fell asleep, and woke up to celebrate yet another Christmas morning together.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey! Always looking for feedback so let me know. Super happy you've made it this far in the first fic I've uploaded to the site! I certainly hope to make many more as time goes on.
> 
> If anybody sees pictures of Aqours engaging in snowball fights, let me know.
> 
> Special thanks to the r/fanfiction discord for making me feel welcome and encouraging me to do my best.


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